4.5Nice panels, but could use a little sanding where the top is glued onto the frame. Other than that, they seem like they will be a lot of fun to use. The panel seems glued down firmly. You could flip these over and paint on the inside if you wanted, giving them an automatic frame. These would work great for 3D or textured work or craft projects as well. I haven’t decided if I want to gesso them or not, but they take media well as is and would probably work fine with just a sealant. I used acrylic markers, gouache, oil pastels, and ink on it as a test.

My daughter is a casual painter, and I'm giving these to her for her birthday. I know she'll be delighted because these come with the frame and mounting hardware, and she can display her work properly. As a former painter myself, I can appreciate the quality of the primed canvas, which is advertised as acid-free, and seems to be very tightly pulled, making it perfect for her acrylics. The size is also great.

Good quality, well made wood panels. Smooth and even all around. Â quality panel for your artwork. Bare wood can be gesso’d or paint right on the wood.

I have been working in oils for many years, and trained professionally. If you just want a few canvases to use with the kids, look no further. Get these. If you are an experienced artist, these have a fairly smooth, semi-absorbent acrylic ground on a cotton duck canvas that is stretched tightly, with very little give. The wood looks like beech, and they say they are acid free. If you are a newer artist wanting to learn more about painting surfaces, I will explain a bit more.So, first of all, beyond a certain threshold of quality, the price of a canvas isn't that important. It isn't a "get what you pay for" scenario. When I was in my prime painting days, people I knew used to spend $100 on a single custom made primed canvas. I could never bring myself to spend quite so much, but I have painted on those surfaces during my training, as well as cheap dollar store materials and everything in between. What I have discovered is that in painting surfaces, cost often has very little relationship to whether or not you will like it. There certainly are degrees of quality you need to be aware of. In particular, you need a material that won't degrade, such as cotton or linen, it needs to be coated with several layers of primer or ground, and it needs to be acid free so that again, it will not degrade, change color, or fall apart over time. These canvases have those qualities, according to the label. Everything else simply comes down to preference.If you become serious about painting, you will discover quickly what your preferences are. Some people prefer a smooth surface, and some rough. Some people want the painting ground to be a absorbent. Some want it to be almost glassy. There are oil-based grounds and acrylic grounds (oil painters can use both, but acrylic painters must use acrylic, and an oil surface is much slicker than acrylic). Some artists like painting on stretched canvas, while others prefer canvas on solid wooden panels. The list goes on. Personally, what I love is a smooth surface with a finely woven tooth, covered in a semi-slick acrylic primer that still has a touch of absorbance. For my particular painting style, which involves underpainting with many layers of translucent paint built on top, that allows me to carefully define details and develop layers as I go along. Surprisingly, this canvas lets me do what I want quite well. It isn't my favorite ever, but it is pleasant to work on and more than worth the price.Of course, what you like may be totally different. You may find you want a slicker surface, a fiber one, or a more textured one. If you are an oil painter, you should definitely try at least a couple oil primed surfaces, which are less absorbent than acrylic. You should also see if you like painting on panels rather than a stretched canvas. You have to experiment. But if I could give you one piece of advice, while you are beginning to do that, *pick the less expensive brands at first.* That will allow you to try a bunch to narrow in on the qualities you like, and then you can seek out a more expensive brand that is smooth, rough, absorbent, glassy, or anything in between.To start with, these are totally fine, and I happily recommend them.